Arnold Schwarzenegger to star in new 'Conan the Barbarian' movie 30 years after original film

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Well, this is unexpected. 30 years after the release of 1982’s “Conan the Barbarian” helped make Arnold Schwarzenegger an international action star, he’s agreed to reprise the role in “The Legend of Conan,” exploring the mythic warrior’s twilight years.

The project is only in the script stage right now, but Universal sounds high on the idea for a tentative summer 2014 release, according to a Deadline report. The article includes extensive detail from “Conan” rights-holder Fredrik Malmberg and “Fast and Furious” producer and writer Chris Morgan, who calls the new “Conan” his “dream project.”

The plan is to make “Legend” a direct follow-up to the original “Conan the Barbarian,” essentially ignoring the existence of 1984’s cheesy sequel “Conan the Destroyer” and 2011’s ill-fated reboot “Conan the Barbarian” starring Jason Momoa of “Game of Thrones.”

“It’s that Nordic Viking mythic guy who has played the role of king, warrior, soldier and mercenary, and who has bedded more women than anyone, nearing the last cycle of his life,” Malmberg tells Deadline. “He knows he’ll be going to Valhalla, and wants to go out with a good battle.”

“This movie picks up Conan where Arnold is now in his life,” Morgan adds. “We will be able to use the fact that he has aged in this story. … We think this is a worthy successor to the original film. Think of this as Conan’s ‘Unforgiven.'”

After eight years as Governor of California, Schwarzenegger has recently transitioned back into acting, appearing in summer’s “The Expendables 2” as well as upcoming action films “The Tomb” and “The Last Stand.”

He’s currently filming “Ten,” and just today tweeted a picture from the set. Schwarzenegger is also attached to “Triplets,” a sequel to his 1988 comedy hit “Twins” co-starring Danny DeVito.